An airplane-sized asteroid to fly by earth on christmas eve: Here's all about it

An asteroid, of the size of an airplane, is set to flyby earth on Christmas eve. As per US space agency, the asteroid is about 120 ft and will come close to earth about 4,480,000 miles away on December 24. To give a perspective, the average distance between Earth and the moon is about 239,000 miles

The asteroid is named '2024 XN1'.

NASA has an Asteroid Watch dashboard where it tracks asteroids and comets that will make relatively close approaches to Earth. The dashboard displays the date of closest approach, approximate object diameter, relative size and distance from Earth for each encounter.

The dashboard displays the next five Earth approaches to within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers or 19.5 times the distance to the moon); an object larger than about 150 meters that can approach the Earth to within this distance is termed a potentially hazardous object.

NASA employs advanced radar systems to actively monitor Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), focusing on identifying potential threats. Through programs like the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), efforts are directed at detecting and tracking objects larger than 140 meters to assess and mitigate future collision risks. Notably, missions like the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) are part of NASA's strategy to develop asteroid deflection techniques.

On December 3, 2024, a small asteroid measuring approximately 70 cm in diameter entered Earth's atmosphere, creating a spectacular fireball that illuminated the Yakutian sky. Detected only 12 hours before impact, scientists worldwide closely monitored its trajectory and successfully predicted its atmospheric entry with a margin of error of just ±10 seconds. Upon entry, the asteroid disintegrated, scattering smaller fragments across a remote forested area in Yakutia. Locals witnessed the mesmerizing display of glowing fireballs streaking through the sky.

Space agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) continue to enhance their detection capabilities to identify such events earlier and issue timely warnings. This marks the fourth confirmed asteroid impact in 2024, following notable events such as 2022 WJ, 2023 CX1, and 2024 BX1, all of which burned up in Earth's atmosphere, captivating observers.